This invention relates generally to animal guards that are mounted on power line insulators to prevent animals from creating short circuits and other electrical problems. More particularly, the invention is directed to a tool which facilitates safe installation of animal guards and to a method of installing animal guards from a safe position on the ground.
Squirrels and other climbing animals have long presented problems relating to overhead power lines. Animals can climb power poles or lines and create short circuits that can destroy or otherwise damage transformers and other electrical equipment.
Recognizing this problem, various types of guards have been proposed to prevent animals from contacting two different power lines and thus creating a short circuit. One type of guard that is prevalent is an electrostatic animal guard that takes the form of a split ring having a bent wire base opposite the split. Radially extending wires project from the ring and are bent on their outer ends to provide a physical barrier to the animals. A small spring applied to the base area of the guard urges the ring closed at the split. The electrostatic animal guard is applied to an insulator bushing by pushing the split onto one of the neck areas of the insulator. The split construction of the ring allows it to open in order to slip onto the insulator, while the spring then assures that the split closes up to retain the animal guard in place.
Although this type of animal guard has functioned in a satisfactory manner for the most part, safety problems have been encountered during the installation procedure. Typically, the animal guard is installed on the insulator using a xe2x80x9chot stickxe2x80x9d which is a hand held pole approximately eight feet long. The hot stick carries jaws on its end which are used to grip the projecting base of the animal guard. The installer must climb partially up the utility pole or work from a lift or ladder as he manipulates the hot stick to slip the animal guard onto the insulator bushing and thereafter release the jaws.
The main problem with this procedure is that the installer must work from an elevated position on a utility pole or ladder or in a lift in relatively close proximity to the transformer. If the transformer is accidentally shorted, the short circuit can create an electrical spark or arc or even a fire dangerously close to the installer. Serious injury can result, as well as damage to the electrical equipment. This problem is compounded by the difficulty involved in using a hot stick with jaws to install the animal guard.
The present invention is directed to a tool that can be used safely and easily to install an electrostatic animal guard on an overhead electrical insulator. In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide a tool that allows a worker at ground level to install the animal guard. This is especially important from a safety standpoint because the worker is on the ground 20 or 30 feet away from the transformer at a safe distance in the event that there is an accident creating an electrical arc or fire.
Another important object of the invention is to provide an installation tool that allows the animal guard to be installed easily compared to the installation techniques that have been used in the past. In this regard, the tool is specially constructed to firmly grip the base of the animal guard between a main plate and a flap that is urged toward the main plate to frictionally hold the base while the guard is being installed. At the same time, the tool can be easily released with a simple pull after the guard is in place on the insulator bushing.
Still another important feature of the tool of the present invention is the provision of a contoured cavity in the face of the main plate that receives the irregular bent wire base of the animal guard. The cavity has a contoured shape in conformity with the base of the animal guard to ensure that the guard will not slip or become prematurely dislodged from the tool during installation. Accordingly, it facilitates the installation of the animal guard and prevents accidents that can create short circuits and other electrical problems.
Other and further objects of the invention, together with the features of novelty appurtenant thereto, will appear in the course of the following description.